Irish general election, 1949

The Irish general election, 1949 was held on 31 July 1949. The people of Ireland elected a new Dail Eireann in another snap election. Fine Gael narrowly won the contest due to the formation of a minority government, but the results were not properly counted due to the calling of another general election on 5 August 1949.

History
The ruling conservative Fine Gael party maintained its grip on power in the 1946 snap election, winning in every county by at least 8% margins. The victory of Fine Gael, however, was due to the Emergency Powers Act 1939 and the ability of the government to manipulate public opinion. As the Fiachsteria economic crisis worsened, emigration (particularly from County Dublin) to the United States, Canada, and Australia rose, and the Irish population decreased along with the economy.

Fine Gael formed a coalition government with Sinn Fein in the aftermath of the 1946 election, but the government's inability to deal with rising debt led to many Sinn Fein politicians defecting to Fianna Fail and supporting a vote of no-confidence against the government. Fine Gael bit the bullet and called yet another general election at the start of 1949.

The election was an upset, as a resurgent Fianna Fail captured the majority of the vote with 41.17%. Its growth in support was owed to increased liberal grassroots activism across the country, as well as due to the general unpopularity of the repressive government. However, Fianna Fail stood alone in the election, while Fine Gael, in second place with 36.08% of the vote, continued its coalition with a debilitated Sinn Fein, which won 14.93% of the vote. Sinn Fein's share of the vote decreased by almost 10% since the last election, as did Fine Gael's; Fianna Fail gained 22% more of the vote. With Fine Gael forming a coalition government with Sinn Fein once more, a Fine Gael-Sinn Fein minority government was formed in the place of the right-wing coalition that existed before the election.

However, the new government would not last long, as the parliamentary opposition pressured the ruling coalition to hold another election in August, leading to the 1950 election and the rise of Fianna Fail.

Results

 * Fianna Fail glyph.png Fianna Fail - 41.17%
 * fine Gael glyph.png Fine Gael - 36.08%
 * Sinn Fein logo.jpg Sinn Fein - 14.93%
 * Irish Labor Party glyph.png Irish Labor Party - 7.79%